Safavieh Adds Ralph Lauren Home to "Couture" Designer Rugs Collection

NEW YORK - Upscale area rug house Safavieh is growing its "Couture" collection of designer brands with the newly inked exclusive licensing partnership with Ralph Lauren Home. Effective January 2011, Safavieh will produce area rugs under both the Ralph Lauren Home and Lauren Ralph Lauren Home brands, which are divisions of the Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. "Our approach in this launch was to develop luxury area rugs infused with the spirit of the Ralph Lauren brand, addressing a complete range of lifestyles to further complement the pieces within the Ralph Lauren Home collection," said Arash Yaraghi, principal, Safavieh. The program will include handmade and machine-made rugs in a full range of sizes and styles, and will be made in the company's manufacturing facilities. The first collection is scheduled to be launched in January during the Atlanta International Rug Market. Safavieh Couture, the company's umbrella term for the rug company's collection of designer brands, also includes Martha Stewart, Thom Filicia, Thomas O'Brien, Suzanne Kasler, Jamie Drake and David Easton. "Safavieh's passion for quality and craftsmanship coupled with their firm grasp of both the Ralph Lauren and Lauren brands make them an ideal partner as we enter into this new line of business," said Frank Guzzetta, president of Ralph Lauren Home. For Ralph Lauren Home, this new partnership is poised "to strengthen and grow the Ralph Lauren Home business in markets throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East."